"You!!"

Thomas slammed his fists against he cushion, "I've had enough!"

"It seems the General is in a bad mood today. Did something happen with Lady Adeline?" 

The Marquis brought up one hand to cover up his giggling mouth. 

Who was Lady Adeline? 

'Hah... Why did he have to bring that up?' 

Shia couldn't help but nod her head while the General's grip on the cushion tightened to the point of tearing it. 

"You... I'll personally make your life a living hell if you—"

Alexander spoke, cutting him off. He turned to Shia with a mischievous grin. 

"How about a bet?" 

Shia quick on the uptake continued, "Yes. How about one, Thomas?" 

"A bet?" 

He replied, the rage he had earlier did not subside, but he put it aside to hear them out—ready to flaunt it the second they were done. 

"Precisely. One that could even be beneficial to you."

"To me?" 

At her words, he was quite surprised. 

Beneficial to me? How, and what for? 

Alexander continued, although he knew the next words would enrage the General even more. 

"We all know how you cannot hold onto a relationship for more than one month. How about—"

"Do you fools think I—"

"Shhh!" 

Shia shushed at him. 

The shush annoyed him more than he let on. 

"—how about you," he paused, pointing at Thomas, "maintain a relationship for more than two months."

"Yep. Two whole months, with one single person." 

Shia added to it. The two giggled and grinned at each other knowing he could try, but chances of him succeeding were slim. 

"And what would I gain from such a bet? You two are simply trying to embarass me." 

He spoke, but his earlier rage seemed to have been put on hold as his voice soothed out from its earlier brass tone. 

"If it's any consolation, if you win, I'll shave my moustache," Alexander said, twisting the sharp sword like edges of his facial hair. 

'!?'

Thomas flinched at his words. 

Why?

"And I will cut my hair." 

His ever so stoic expression faltered, but he quickly regained his composure. It was only at this point did he realise the severity of the bet, and how serious they were. 

The Marquis had an extreme obsession with his moustache to the point where he's never trimmed it off, even at his own wife's requests. 

While Shia proudly kept her hair intact for years. She took great care of her hair and was conscious of it, but now she was staking her hair!

"It's not worth the trouble." 

He shifted his eyes off them. It hurt his pride to turn it down, but he felt the equivalent return he had to give if he ever lost would be something equally bad. 

"Lady Adeline." 

Lady Adeline, he said once again. 

Lady Adeline was...one of Thomas's numerous affairs with noble women. He's been known for meeting women for—brief encounters. 

This was why The Marquis kept taunting him, knowingly. 

"Fine. I accept. Should I suppose, shave my beard?" 

Thomas enquired. He was not too overjoyed with accepting, infact, he felt great inner turmoil. 

"That is one of the conditions. The second one is a tattoo, a big one. How about on your back?" 

The Marquis pointed at him joyfully.

Shia laughed along, "I am a loner. Yep that's it. Tattoo that on your back."

"That's not fair." 

"Oh! Hey Marquis, he says it's not fair. What should we do?" 

Shia threw a quick glance at the Marquis. 

"How about we get tattoos of our own. Yes. That works. Thomas the great and mighty, we'll get that on our forearms, if you win. How is that?"

He pulled back the sleeve around his forearm, "Right here."

At this Thomas grunted. 

"Almost forgot, the bet lasts for only two years. Which means you have till the twelfth of first moon of rebirth, year 1567."

_________________________

"Elias?"

Jack's jaw hung low at the faint surprise. 

Why? 

The reason was the person he called out to—the last person he thought he would meet today. 

"Big Brother...is..."

The man tried to speak, but his words cracked apart. 

"Yes!" 

Wrapping his hands around the man, he embraced him in one fell swoop. 

"You—how could you disappear without a single word! You idiot! I wanted to come find you...but I cannot just...!" 

Elias placed his hand around his brother's back. 

"It's alright..." 

—Huff!

The single choked sob made Elias realise his brother's state of mind. 

He had missed him, dearly. 

"It's alright brother. I am here..." 

'The two really look similar. Spitting image of the Duke.'

Hailee observed from a distance while the two brothers caught up. 

She did not want to be caught up in between the emotional reunion, even through she considered the two her brothers.

_________________________

"Way too strange! How could I just do that without any initial knowledge!" 

Her fork moved around while her thoughts scattered. 

She thought, and thought, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand it. 

The Emperor and her siblings looked at her perplexed, but she was way too unfocused to notice their gazes. 

"Um... Everything alright?" 

To everyone's surprise, Gabriel asked first. 

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

—Ting!

The fork had slipped off her fingers. 

"...yes, it's alright. I just had some things... Uh..."

She was stuttering which was quite unusual considering how chatty she was. 

"I heard your learning magic, what's up with the sudden interest?" 

The voice was smooth, but deep. A melody unheard, but melancholic and addictive.

This is what Daniela felt the first time she heard his voice. 

'Oh! Is that his voice?'

She thought for a moment before replying. She couldn't outright reveal her intentions. 

Deciding the best course of lie, she said. 

"Yes, brother. I thought it might be fun."

Fun?

This made everyone more confused than they already were.

The case was similar to the tales of the Professor Yearneth. 

A once notorious figure known for his cruel ways without warning changed his ways. 

His swift change in behaviour coupled with his past and present selves seemed irreconcilable to everyone, prompting widespread questions of his sanity. 

He used to spit at the sight of commoners, but after his 'swift' change, his actions were more confusing. 

He started spending time with people of low origins, peasants, and to everyone's surprise, he took in an assistant; a commoner. 

No one had an answer to the baffling change, but after great debate and observations, they came to one single conclusion. 

He had hit his head. 

How was this case similar to Daniela's?

For starters, she hated magic, she hated the arcane. 

But for someone who had openly showed her dislike for it, it would only be strange if she started practicing it, no less calling it 'fun.'

"Uh... Did you hit your head by chance, sister?" 

_________________________